Scrum Master

Job summary

Scrum Master

Full time / Part time

Salary: £44,297 - £49,813, with potential for further progression to £56,082 with our pay progression scheme.

Location: Flexible

Contracted to our Wilmslow office, however, through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. There will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need. Please note that from Autumn 2026 our head office will be relocating to Manchester city centre.

Why work for the ICO?

• Pay progression scheme.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.
• 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
• Flexi leave (up to 24 additional days leave per year).
• Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
• Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.

Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website .

About us

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the independent regulator of information rights. In a data-driven world, we provide advice, guidance, and support to organisations enabling compliance with their obligations, as well as protecting individuals and their personal data.

As an employer, we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives and careers of our people, and we empower you to be curious, impactful, collaborative and respectful.

Job description

As a member of the Digital, Data & Technology team the postholder will work closely with colleagues across the team and ICO, including Senior Sponsors and Project Boards, to take accountability and primary responsibility for the successful delivery of project outcomes encompassing time, costs, scope and quality, utilising appropriate agile or waterfall methods.

The post-holder will manage resources, deliverables, relationships, risks, dependencies ensuring capacity and skills for successful outcome achievement. They will ensure project transparency and accurate reporting.

It is essential that the post-holder works collaboratively within the multi-skilled DDaT function and across the wider ICO ensuring inclusion and conflict resolution during the inception, delivery and post-delivery cycle to ensure projects meets the Senior Sponsor’s product vision, design requirements, acceptance criteria and are deployed or implemented without issue.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning, Management and Reporting – use your knowledge and experience of waterfall & agile methods to recommend the best approach for project delivery; predominately blending traditional project management principles and practices with an Agile delivery approach to ensure the successful implementation of a wide range of products – this may include digital, infrastructure and non-digital/technology related projects, products and services.
• Ensure teams are empowered to produce high quality services, following best practices and DDaT/ICO standards.
• Be primarily responsible for the timely and on-cost delivery of product features during the project inception and delivery phases.
• Support the Product Owner – holding the product team to account for delivery of the Vision, Features and Stories committed to achieve a successful MVP.
• Supporting the Product Owner in developing User Stories and grooming/prioritising of the product backlog.
• Being accountable for defining and adhering to the timeline for the project.
• Inspire product/project teams to be agile, user-centred, high-performing, collaborative, and trusting.
• Leverage User Centred Design and data driven iteration to ensure maximum value from delivered MVP.
• Working with Product Teams, Application Support, Software Testing and Infrastructure to reduce blockages and ensure timely delivery.
• Ensure all digital developments take in to account GDS service design standards (and frameworks), WCAG2.1.
• Management of 3rd party vendors involved in project delivery including responsibility for delivery and the identification and communication of risk.
• Where required, attend and present materials to the relevant ICO and project governance boards.
• Be active in coaching and mentoring DDaT colleagues and aid other teams in mentoring and coaching.
• Take responsibility and collaborate with technical leaders in the wider organisation to improve services, products, practices, standards, project delivery, performance, and team culture.
• There will be regular contact with senior people within the organisation up to Director and non-executive board level. This will be to report progress, escalate issues/risks, build project teams, provide confidence, obtain approval, provide advice and guidance, agree benefits, gather and share information, agree roles and responsibilities
• Communication with team members across the business to plan and drive activities, monitor progress, resolve issues, promote a spirit of collaboration.
• Facilitates the engagement of stakeholders and delivery of services and change projects, acting as a single point of contact for senior stakeholders, facilitating relationships between them.
• Managing risks, issues and dependencies, deciding on the appropriate actions and mitigations, obtaining agreement and ensuring effective communication.
• Prepares project forecasts, reports including burndown/up and tracks and manages actual project spend.
• Collects and maintains data for measurement.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage

• Proven experience in a scrum master/delivery management role within a DDaT function.
• Proven experience in managing multidisciplinary teams using continuous planning, forecasting, road-mapping, and metrics-based approaches to handle uncertainty and ensure delivery.
• Expertise in managing third-party delivery partners, suppliers, and multiple concurrent projects/products with effective resource planning and coordination.
• Skilled in facilitating project inceptions, workshops, retrospectives, and lessons learned sessions to enhance project outcomes and team performance.
• Track record of successfully delivering projects using agile, waterfall, or hybrid methodologies, including backlog grooming, prioritisation, and outcome evaluation.
• Comprehensive experience in managing project scope, change management, and ensuring alignment with objectives while maintaining delivery cadence.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage

• Skilled in identifying, refining, and challenging user stories/requirements to ensure clarity, quality, and effective breakdown into actionable units.
• Drives team momentum by solving issues, unblocking challenges, managing dependencies, and setting a pace aligned with delivery commitments.
• Skilled in facilitating project inceptions, workshops, retrospectives, and lessons learned sessions to enhance project outcomes and team performance
• Proficient in risk tracking and mitigation, selecting optimal delivery methods, and fostering experimentation to improve outcomes.
• Demonstrates adaptability, resilience, and the ability to reflect and respond effectively to challenges and process inefficiencies.
• Strong communicator across organisational, technical, and political boundaries, effectively managing outcomes and liaising with suppliers.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,297, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £12,832 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Please visit ico.jobs for full details, including salary and benefits.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website.

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV by 23:59 on Sunday 12th April 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@ico.org.uk
• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk